Priced at Rs 199 per month, Hotstar says this service will offer users access to "the latest English shows and movies" and will be available only in India. The service currently supports only credit cards right now. We've written to Star India for more information on this and will update once we hear back.

At launch, Hotstar is offering the Season 6 premiere episode of the popular English TV show Game of Thrones, minutes after its US telecast.

In December, Star India had signed an exclusive tie-up with HBO to offer forthcoming seasons of television shows like Game of Thrones, True Detective, Silicon Valley, Veep, Vinyl, Leftovers, Entourage, Band of Brothers, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm on the same day as its US telecast to its consumers.

Uncensored content

What's also interesting is that Star India is offering an uncensored episode of Game of Thrones on this service, unlike a censored version that's broadcasted on the television.

This could potentially drive subscriptions for the service among English TV show enthusiasts since it offers them a legal and a convenient way to watch shows like Game of Thrones which has been one of the most pirated TV show over the years.

Sports simulcasting

Star India noted that it also intends to introduce simulcasting of live sports and shows from its network through its premium service.

This could further drive subscriptions for Hotstar since sports events tend to have a value in immediacy, which is lost once the game finishes. Sports fans are therefore more likely to pay for subscriptions to watch a great game in progress than catch up on the game later.

Star India currently offers ad-supported delayed live streams for the ongoing Indian premier league and previously offered similar delayed livestreams for Twenty20 World cup.

Star India CEO and Chairman Uday Shankar had recently said that live sports has been a major growth driver for Hotstar and claimed that Hotstar's watch time for live cricket events is now starting to reach 50% of television in larger cities.